Resources for Parents

Parents of a newly diagnosed autistic child are thrown into the deep end. It's a very tough thing to go through that no one can truly understand except parents who have gone through it. It's hard enough to be told your child has autism, but then parents are thrown into a sea of treatment options from herbs to prozac, speech therapy to sensory integration and ABA to social skills training. All this on top of the financial issues that arise when trying to provide the best possible care for the child. With all this in mind, we're providing a list of resources for parents below that can be of help during your journey. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing wrong with being autistic ..... what's key is to give your child the best tools possible to enjoy life to the fullest and be happy and successful. There are questions about whether autism can be "cured" at all or not ... but one thing is for sure - we can help arm our kids with the best language skills, social training and other therapies, so that can grow up as happy as possible. Celebrating their differences is just as important as helping them socialize and be "normal," whatever that really means. It's important that their self esteem in kept in tact as we give them the tools to use in life, as a positive self image will be the most important tool in their toolbox! These are various links to websites, books, support groups and other resources that will be of help to parents as they navigate their way through the sea of autism: